By Andrew Liszewski

You know I’m not entirely sure what this Want/Need Glass available from Alesina Design is supposed to be illustrating. At first I thought it was maybe a commentary on appreciating the fact that we have a readily available supply of fresh drinking water, and that we shouldn’t waste a single drop or be too greedy when filling up a glass. But now I’m thinking it’s just the result of a bet between designers as to who could get $30 for a single glass that already comes with a hole in it. Somewhere someone’s got a smirk on their face a mile wide.

[ Want/Need Glass ] VIA [ HolyCool.net ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In my 5 or 6 years of blogging about gadgets and gizmos, the Keyport Slide stands out as one product that had a bit of a rough time making its way to the marketplace. We first wrote about the Keyport back in 2007 which we thought was a great concept, with not so great pricing and execution. $300 for a fancy key holder was expensive, no doubt about that, and users were asked to physically mail in the keys they wanted converted, which a lot of people thought was a little sketchy.

In 2009 when customers who had originally ordered the Slide still hadn’t received their product, we were pretty sure the product was DOA. But it turns out that wasn’t the end of the saga. By 2010 the company behind the Keyport had not only sorted out and vastly improved the logistics of the ordering process, but the price had been slashed to $79.99. And customers (finally!) started receiving their orders, which turned out to work just as promised. So when we were offered the chance to try out the latest version of the Keyport Slide we jumped at the opportunity. Both because we still think it’s a great idea and product, and also for some much needed closure. Check out our full review after the jump.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I know we’ve all got digital cameras on our cellphones, tablets and even laptops, but there’s still a certain appeal to having a tiny no-frills version tucked away in a pocket somewhere. And the SQ30m scores high points with both of those criteria. In fact it’s so compact and lacking in frills to the point of foregoing a color LCD or even an optical viewfinder for framing. It’s quite literally a point and shoot affair, probably leading to some pleasant surprises when the photos are developed/copied to your PC via its built-in mini USB port on the bottom.

The camera has a resolution of just 1200×1280 which is small by today’s standards, but since they’ll be all crapped up when uploaded to Facebook anyways, who really cares? You also have your choice of 4 different color modes, a slider that can switch between a macro and landscape mode (I’m assuming it physically swaps lenses) and even the option to shoot low frame-rate videos mimicking an 8mm film camera. But whether or not the novelty justifies its ~$75 (¥5,985) price tag is up to you.

[ SQ30m Pocket Digital Camera ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Unplggd ]

By David Ponce

While the idea of reading magazines on an electronic tablet has been around for ages (check this video to see what I mean), it’s not until the iPad came around that this possibility really took off.  There are a fair number of applications that bring magazine functionality to everyone’s favorite tablet, but The Collection will be the first such app to release it’s monthly installment in English, German and Chinese simultaneously.  And while the fist installment is a hefty 230MB download, it does pack a good number of multimedia features that make it compelling and will keep you entertained for quite some time.

Aside from articles about popular current events, the application contains “audio, photos and videos and inter-active elements like panoramic photography, 3D digital animation, creative morphing, rubbing, X-Ray lens and more.”  As it turns out, the fist edition was about Prince William.  You can’t really get more timely than that, given the recent wedding.  And there was a boatload of information about the soon to be (as of this time of writing) ex-bachelor extraordinaire. 

Best of all, the application is free and so are the monthly installments.  It is however an iPad only experience.

By Andrew Liszewski

The rise of HTPCs and touchscreen devices lacking a physical keyboard has created a real market for external wireless keyboards. Designed for use with everything from Windows, Android and Apple tablets to tucked away computers connected to a big-screen display to even gaming consoles, the itablet features a compact keyboard layout primarily designed to be used with your two thumbs.

And if the device you happen to be using it with also features a cursor-driven UI, on the back of the itablet you’ll find a rear-facing touchpad. Logistically it would probably take some time for me to get used to using a reverse touchpad, but by placing it on the back the itablet does end up with a smaller overall footprint which makes it smaller to hold and easier to travel with. It’s available now in black or white with US & UK keyboard layouts for ~$132 (£79.99), with other commonly used keyboard layouts becoming available in Q3 of this year.

[ itablet ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There are countless boxes capable of streaming radio broadcasts from the internet, instead of just over-the-air, giving you access to content from all over the world. But the Lookee TV one-ups them all by adding the ability to stream video content from the internet as well. All-in-all it gives you access to over 1,400 ‘TV’ channels and over 3,000 radio stations, including podcasts.

Now enjoying that wealth of content on a 4.3-inch 480×272 pixel display is not exactly a home theater caliber experience, so the Lookee includes a standard definition video-out connection for hooking it up to a larger display. But the device seems to be targeted as a more advanced alternative to your standard alarm clock, so perhaps it’s best enjoyed bedside as an alternative to the witty banter of your local radio morning hosts. Users have the ability to search for stations by region, language, genre or custom keywords, and favorites lists can be compiled for preferred content. It of course also doubles as a desktop media player/digital photo frame with audio and video content like AVI, FLV, MKV and WMV files played from an SD card.

Even with all that functionality I’m still a little confused as to where the best place something like this could be enjoyed. On your desk at work? In the kitchen? On a bedside table? And at $199.99 it seems a little expensive for something I’m not entirely sure what to do with.

[ Lookee TV Desktop ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not under any delusions here, the reason this sling-type camera bag caught my attention was for the simple fact that Blackstone Bags refers to it as their ‘Urban Quiver’ design. And as a result I had images of myself swinging through trees downtown, whipping out my camera to snap photos of the rich and give them to the poor, in a misguided attempt to bring myself some Robin Hood-esque notoriety. But it turns out the Urban Quiver has some nice features, particularly for those who’ve chosen a life less suburb.

Most notably, the 21-inch long bag has a big flap on top that opens to reveal its entire contents which makes packing away and keeping track of what gear you’ve got stashed a lot easier than with an endless collection of pockets. But when worn that top flap is actually pressed against your back, meaning it’s next to impossible for someone in a crowd to open and abscond with your gear. A large buckle in the middle of the strap allows you to easily remove and clip-on the bag, and there’s a couple of thin accessory pockets on there too allowing you to store phones or other devices you need to access more frequently. At $125 it’s admittedly expensive, but they are designed and manufactured in Portland, if buying locally made products is important to you.

[ Urban Quiver Camera Bag ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Uplggd ]

By Andrew Liszewski

To me a coffee table is far more than just a decorative piece of furniture. It’s also a footrest, a work space, a dinner table, an occasional home for my transient family of remotes and every once in a while when people visit, even a place to put a cup of coffee. And that’s probably why this Elos table from Brazil-based ‘Nódesign’ caught my attention.

Made from wood it’s built to be as flexible as the chain on a bike, allowing it to be rolled up forming a larger table, or stretched out so it can be used by many people at the same time. Given the single leg below each pivot point I doubt it can be stretched out all the way without it falling over, but a simple zig-zag layout should keep it pretty steady. I suspect it might be available for sale, but from where or for how much I’ve no idea.

[ Designspotter - Elos Table ] VIA [ I New Idea ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Blasting down the aisles and careening around corners with my cart, like I’m trying to beat a lap time at the Nürburgring, is the only way I can usually tolerate grocery shopping. But I’ve just discovered there’s a far better way. All I need is this shopping cart that artist Mike Boucher has converted to a lounge chair, aka the ‘Sun Lounger’. I’d probably also need someone to tag along and push me around the store, that or some kind of long wooden pole to propel myself down the aisles. And if I feel overwhelmed by the task at hand I can always stop somewhere brightly lit like the produce section and catch some rays, or chill out by the frozen foods.

From what I gather the Sun Lounger is probably for sale from Cumulus Studios, but their website is so designery and avant-garde that I’ve already thrown in the towel on trying to dig up any kind of useful info on how you can get one. Besides, you know, jacking a cart and hacking it to pieces yourself. Last time I checked it was only 25 cents to unlock one right?

[ Design Miami / Basel - The Outside Artist ] VIA [ designboom ]